More than 70 foreign researchers have been banned from working with USDA. The move follows an internal security review aimed at keeping foreign adversaries out of U.S. research projects.
The contractors worked under USDA’s research arm, and most were post-doctoral researchers. A union leader for the ag research service told Reuters that the firings took out a lot of talent that will stunt research growth.
USDA says any individuals working for countries of concern will no longer be allowed to work on USDA projects, which includes researchers from countries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA will help dairy producers dealing with High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks in their herds.
Starting Monday, April 29, the USDA will require free avian flu (HPAI H5N1) testing on all dairy cattle before interstate travel. Positive cases must be directly reported to the USDA for tracing.
